My mom was one of the best cooks I’ve encountered. She had a knack for adding a splash of freshness and elegance to every dish she created. And she really loved cooking for friends and throwing parties. So much so that dinners when I was growing up usually consisted of her experiments with party food and appetizers. Capturing her culinary creations was one of the reasons I started a food blog years ago. It was a way to encourage her to...

Phyllo Asparagus Spears
These are easy to make, but take some practice. I would recommend you make them at least once before you make them for a special occasion. The above photo was taken by Ninette at Big, Bold, Beautiful Food. She made this recipe and made some little changes to it. You can read her take on the recipe here. Be sure to check out her website while you’re there, it’s gorgeous and is...

S’Chee – Russian Cabbage Soup
S’Chee (I’ve been pronouncing this “Shay” my whole life and was just corrected by a nice reader who said it’s actually “Shchee”) is a very traditional Russian cabbage soup. The recipes vary and have been passed from family to family in different regions for generations. This is the recipe my family has used for decades (and no we aren’t Russian...

This mushroom croustades recipe is great when you’re throwing a party. They are always such a bit hit… and any leftover duxelle (fancy name for mushroom filling) may be used as a delicious topping for potatoes, eggs or on top of a filet mignon.
The “cups” which are often referred to as “croustades” in other recipes and are little bread cases made with round slices of soft white bread that are pressed into...

Homemade Tom and Jerry Batter (Eggnog)
This recipe is a variation of a long lost recipe my mother used to make years ago. Once you have homemade batter you’ll never buy the jared stuff at the store – or commercial Egg Nog. We don’t consider this to be perfected so I encourage you to play with the spices and consistency while making it. My mother used to make this in large batches – place and...